Royal Swedish Ballet by Marina Grut

Summary: Sweden's fascinating ballet history is told by Marina Grut, with fresh information on Didelot and his wise words, Per Christian Johansson who laid the foundations of Russian ballet teaching; Filippo and Marie Taglioni, with a first glimpse of paintings of Marie in Stockholm and her personal notes of her historic return visit to Stockholm, the city of her birth; dancers’ opinions of Michel Fokine, Antony Tudor and Mary Skeaping; the Legat family roots; insights into letters from and to August Bournonville, his legacy to Swedish theatre and views on Lucile Grahn; and personal experience of Mary Skeaping's stay in Stockholm. This history stretches from the reign of Queen Christina, through the brilliant era of Gustav III, to some of the present-day choreographers such as Birgit Cullberg, Birgit Åkesson and Ivo Cramér, as well as Skeaping's inspired directorship of the Royal Swedish Ballet. The author began work on this book in the 1960s, when she was befriended by Mary Skeaping and interviewed many of Sweden’s leading ballet personalities of the time, including Jenny Hasselquist and Rolf de Maré. The book has a foreword by Professor Bengt Häger, an index of names and works, an extensive bibliography, and a table annex of all ballets performed in Stockholm from 1693 to 1962.

Illustrations: 328, thereof 69 in colour; many not published before.

Size and binding: 706 pages, hardback, 18 by 25 cm.

Cover picture: Marie Taglioni. From Professor Häger’s collection. Digitally enhanced by Nicolai Grut, www.feedbackvideo.com.

Publisher, year, ISBN, price: Olms Verlag, Hildesheim, 2007, ISBN 978-3-487-13494-9, price EUR 98 (subsidized by the Carina Ari Foundation, Stockholm).

UDC library number: 792.8(485)

Obtainable from: Dance Books Ltd in the UK, or Amazon-Germany, or Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung in Germany

For this book Marina Grut was awarded the Carina Ari Foundation 2008 Gold Medal, which is "for honouring the art of Swedish dance". The medal was presented by Princess Christina of Sweden.